Redondo High’s football team secured its ninth consecutive CIF-Southern Section playoff berth after topping host and rival Mira Costa 13-9 in a crucial Bay League finale last Friday in Manhattan Beach.
The win gave the Sea Hawks second place, behind champion Palos Verdes, in the Bay League. Redondo, which finished at 4-1 in league and 8-2 overall, open the Southern Section Western Division playoffs as the No. 4 seed but it will be a tough one at home against always tough West Torrance Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Warriors are the co-Pioneer League champions and finished the regular season with a bang with easy wins over other cross town rivals South Torrance (45-14 on Oct. 30 at South) and Torrance (52-21 last Friday at West). Redondo played a non-league game at West on Sept. 18 where it won a 14-3 defensive battle. The Warriors are 6-4 overall and ended the Pioneer at 4-1, tied with North Torrance. The Saxons, however, get the first place berth due to defeating host West 35-17 on Oct. 16. North was upset by South 20-13 last Friday at North. The Saxons are seeded third and open at home against Agoura, the second place team from the Canyon League.
The Mustangs, meanwhile, still received a playoff berth after a third place finish in league at 3-2 and 8-2 overall. Mira Costa visits Channel League champion and last year’s Western Division runner-up, to Palos Verdes, Ventura Friday at 7:30 p.m.
The match-up between Redondo and Mira Costa was a good defensive one. The Sea Hawks, though, came out with a big play. With just over a minute left, the Mustangs were faced with a fourth down and six at the Redondo 23-yard line. Quarterback David Arredondo pitched out the ball to Jemal Williams as he was looking to pass toward the end zone. Williams, however, was swarmed by Sea Hawk defenders and eventually tackled for a 15-yard loss ending the threat. Redondo was able to run down the clock from there for the win. The Sea Hawks also received the surfboard, donated by the Hermosa Beach-based Spyder Surfboards, for the second straight year after winning the big South Bay beach rivalry.
Sophomore running back Jermar Jefferson was the big part of the Redondo offense scoring both touchdowns. He gave the Sea Hawks a 6-0 first quarter lead on a 51-yard TD run but the point after touchdown was missed. Mira Costa bounced back to take a 7-6 lead after completing a 69-yard, 12-play drive when Justin Tavai scored from 10 yards out and the PAT was made.
Shortly after Redondo quarterback Jacob Silvera was hit hard causing a minor knee injury, the Mustangs were called for unnecessary roughness that kept the Sea Hawks’ drive alive. The battered Silvera returned and tossed a 39-yard pass to wide receiver Preston Faecher putting the ball at the Mira Costa 3-yard line. From there, Jefferson scored to give Redondo a 13-7 lead shortly before halftime.
The second half was virtually all defense. The Mustangs received a safety after a very good punt pinned the Sea Hawks at their own one-yard line. Redondo was unable to advance the ball enough. As a result of putting Mira Costa in harder field position, punter Trevor Bowens ran the ball out of the back of the end zone with about three minutes remaining.
Narbonne blanks San Pedro: Narbonne High’s football team from Harbor City was ranked No. 1 in the CIF-Los Angeles City Section Division I all season and rolled to the Marine League championship by routing host San Pedro 38-0 last Friday.
The Gauchos (8-2 overall, 5-0 in league) wasted little time on the Pirates, who tied for second with Wilmington Banning and Carson with 3-2 records in Marine action. They drove 80 yards in nine plays that ended when University of Arizona-bound running back Sean Riley scored from 11 yards out.
Quarterback Roman Ale had a fine game, completing 14 of 19 passes for 220 yards and three touchdowns. He had TD passes to Lewis Citizen from 51 yards, eight to Devaughn Cooper and 19 to Tyrone Marshall.
Daniel Brown added an interception for a touchdown. That gave Narbonne a 19-0 lead with 2:25 to go in the first period.
The Gauchos begin the L.A. City Division I playoffs as the top seed as they host Eagle Rock Friday at 7 p.m. San Pedro, which is 6-4 overall, is eighth seed and it will host No. 9 South Gate at the same time.
Lawndale pulls out playoffs: After an impressive 41-0 win over defending Ocean League champion El Segundo on Oct. 30 at Lawndale, the Cardinals’ football team was in great position of their first league championship in 40 years.
When they hit the football practice field the following Monday (Nov. 3), they heard the shocking news that they had an ineligible player who was involved in four of their first eight wins and had to forfeit those. Among those were Ocean wins over Culver City and Santa Monica. Instead of being in first place with a 4-0 league record and 8-1 overall through nine games, Lawndale was thrown down to 2-2 in league and a three-way tie with rival Hawthorne and El Segundo with the Centaurs (3-1) taking the lead.
That player in sophomore Joshua Pittman, who transferred to Lawndale from Fairfax and was before with now head Cardinal coach Travis Clark at Santa Monica, who was believed to have been cleared by the CIF-Southern Section before the school’s administration discovered that his address written was not valid. He was ineligible due to that false statement that forced the Cardinals to forfeit the four games that he was little involved in. Those also included non-league victories over Encino Crespi and Torrance.
Desperate just to make the CIF-Southern Section Western Division playoffs, Lawndale did just that. The hungry Cardinals thrashed host and Centinela Valley High School District rival Hawthorne 45-0 and ended up receiving the second place berth, behind Culver City (The Centaurs won the league by rolling over Beverly Hills 41-6 last Friday at Culver.) from the Ocean. But instead of getting a first place berth with a 5-0 on-field league record and 9-1 overall for a first round home game, the Cardinals (5-5, 3-2) have to take the road to face Buena High in Ventura Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Bulldogs (6-4, 3-1) placed second behind cross town rival Ventura in the Channel League. If Lawndale gets by Buena, it could have to take on top seeded Calabasas at home on Nov. 20 at Lawndale. The Coyotes (9-1, 4-0) host Rio Mesa from Oxnard in the first round at the same time.
Against the Cougars, who finished their season at 3-7 overall and tied with Lawndale and El Segundo for second in league at 3-2 but failed to advance to the Western Division playoffs, running back Zach Cooper ran for four touchdowns of 73, 22, 14 and four yards. He rushed for 255 yards on 21 carries. Quarterback Chris Murray ran for 77 yards on 10 carries that included a 32-yard TD run and passed for 42 yards and had a scoring pass to wide receiver Bryant Perkinson late in the fourth quarter.
Despite being shut out, Hawthorne managed a fine game from quarterback Marte Mapu who threw for 120 yards with one interception. The Cougars’ 3-2 league record is their best since their Ocean League championship 4-1 mark in 2004.
Final League Standings: CIF-L.A. City Section:
Marine League: Narbonne 5-0, 8-2; San Pedro 6-4, 3-2; Banning 7-3, 3-2; Carson 4-6, 3-2; Gardena 5-5*, 1-4; Washington 1-9, 0-5. (Includes non-league forfeit win against Morningside.)
CIF-Southern Section:
Bay League: Palos Verdes 7-3, 5-0; Redondo 8-2, 4-1; Mira Costa 8-2, 3-2; Morningside 3-7, 2-3; Inglewood 1-9, 1-4; Peninsula 2-8, 0-5. (Morningside was 7-3 on the field but had to forfeit four non-league wins because of ineligible player. Inglewood was 2-8 on the field but forfeited its non-league win against Bell because of ineligible player. Peninsula forfeited final three Bay League games due to administration deciding to suspend varsity football for remainder of 2015 season because of high risk from lack of players left on team.)
Mission League: Serra 8-2, 5-1; Bishop Amat 8-2, 5-1; Loyola 7-3, 4-2; Chaminade 6-4; 3-3; Alemany 5-5; 2-4; Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (4-6, 1-5); Crespi (2-8*, 0-6). *—Includes forfeit win against Lawndale.
Ocean League: Culver City 7-3, 4-1; Lawndale 5-5, 3-2; Hawthorne 3-7, 3-2; El Segundo 7-3, 3-2; Beverly Hills 1-9, 1-4; Santa Monica 1-9, 1-4. (Lawndale forfeited four games, including non-league wins against Crespi and Torrance, and league wins against Culver City and Santa Monica because of ineligible player. The Cardinals were 9-1 overall and 5-0 on the field.)
Pioneer League: North Torrance 8-2, 4-1; West Torrance 6-4, 4-1; Leuzinger 4-6, 3-2; South Torrance 7-3, 3-2; Torrance 2-8*, 1-4; Compton Centennial 1-9, 0-5. *—Includes forfeit win against Lawndale.
Last Week’s Results:
Friday, Nov. 6:
CIF-L.A. City Section:
Marine League: Narbonne 38, San Pedro 0; Banning 28, Gardena 14; Carson def. Washington by forfeit.
Western League: Palisades 39, Westchester 7.
CIF-Southern Section:
Bay League: Redondo 13, Mira Costa 9; Morningside 50, Inglewood 12; Palos Verdes def. Peninsula by forfeit.
Mission League: Chaminade 38, Serra 21.
Ocean League: Lawndale 45, Hawthorne 0; El Segundo 49, Santa Monica 7; Culver City 41, Beverly Hills 6.
Pioneer League: Leuzinger 32, Compton Centennial 0; South Torrance 20, North Torrance 13; West Torrance 52, Torrance 21.
South Catholic League: Bishop Montgomery 51, Verbum Dei 14 (Bishop Montgomery wins league title at 3-0 and is 9-1 overall.); St. Bernard 32, Cantwell-Sacred Heart 29.
Eight-Man Football Division II Playoffs Round I: Desert Christian Academy 80, Rolling Hills Prep 22.
This Week’s Playoffs Round I:
CIF-L.A. City Section: All Games at 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 13:
Division I: Eagle Rock at Narbonne; South Gate at San Pedro; Banning at Crenshaw; Carson at Dorsey.
Division II: Rancho Dominguez at Gardena; Westchester at Jefferson.
CIF-Southern Section:
Friday, Nov. 13:
PAC Five Division: Westlake at Serra, 7:30 p.m.
Western Division: Lawndale at Buena, 7:30 p.m.; Agoura at North Torrance, 7:30 p.m.; Mira Costa at Ventura, 7:30 p.m.; West Torrance at Redondo, 7:30 p.m.; Simi Valley vs. Palos Verdes at South Torrance High, 7 p.m.
Northwest Division: Maranatha at Bishop Montgomery, 7:30 p.m.
East Valley Division: Mary Star at Grace Brethren, 7:30 p.m.
Snyder’s Top 10: 1. Serra (8-2), 2. Narbonne (8-2), 3. Palos Verdes (7-3), 4. Redondo (8-2), 5. North Torrance (8-2), 6. Mira Costa (8-2), 7. Lawndale (5-5*), 8. Bishop Montgomery (9-1), 9. West Torrance (6-4), 10. San Pedro (6-4). *—Forfeited four wins.
